Thanks again to St. Joseph's Deacon Gary Bockweg for another wonderful reflection.
Why do questions arise in your hearts?
That’s what Jesus asked his disciples
When he found them huddled in fear in the locked room.
When they were startled, terrified, and incredulous at his arrival.
Considering all his amazing deeds that they had previously witnessed,
We’d think they would have had complete faith in him.
And that they would have feared no one.
They had many times witnessed his awesome power.
Power over illness – curing the sick.
Power over nature – multiplying the loaves, calming the sea.
Power over Satan – driving out demons.
Power even over death – raising the widow’s son,
Raising the synagogue official’s daughter,
Raising Lazarus.
They'd seen all that with their own eyes.
Some of them had even seen him standing with Elijah and Moses
And heard the voice of the Father praising him.
And he’d even told them in advance that all of this was going to happen.
He was going up to Jerusalem to suffer, be put to death, and rise on the third day.
Surely they heard him.
But clearly they didn’t fully understand.
Peter responded saying “This shall never happen to you, Lord.”
And Jesus had to tell him – “Get behind me, Satan.”
We’re also told that the apostles questioned among themselves
What rising from the dead might mean.
It’s easy for us to think that with all the apostles had witnessed
They would have absolute, unshakable faith.
And yet we know that they abandoned him during his passion.
We know that they were greatly frightened by his arrest and death.
That’s why they were held up in that locked room.
At first glance it seems that they had it so much easier than we do.
But when you think about it – we’ve got a lot that they didn’t have.
We didn’t have to deal with the real shock of hearing that Jesus was resurected.
Most of us have heard that all our lives.
In fact, we probably hear those words with far less awe than we should.
It’s something we just take for granted.
The apostles had to live out the story with Jesus day by day.
With some danger and without knowing how it might end.
We learned the ending at the same time we learned the story.
And we learned the full story in the comfort and safety of our home or school or church.
And as we learned more detail and thought about it more
We realized that this story has stood the test of time for 2000 years.
We realized that hundreds of millions of others have believed the story
And passed their faith down to us.
When we read the writings or listen to the words of some of those believers,
When we consider the deeds and commitments of some of those believers,
We can find assurance that many who were better and brighter than us have believed.
We also have the benefit of the New Testament.
And the scripture scholars.
We have the knowledge that Jesus is still here with us.
Even if we can see him.
We know we can receive him in the Eucharist – every day if we want.
We know that he’s dwelling among us – dwelling right inside each of us.
We’ve had that presence around us since our birth – and within us since our Baptism.
At the time they abandoned Jesus,
At the time they were held up in the locked room,
The apostles hadn’t yet received that Spirit.
They knew Jesus as a companion and a teacher.
Maybe even as the Messiah.
But not as an internal presence.
It was only with his visit to that locked room that they finally received that Spirit within.
That Spirit most of us have had all our lives.
And when the apostles finally did receive that Spirit, look at what they did with it.
They immediately went out and bore witness to everything they had experienced.
As we hear in the fearless words of Peter in our first reading today,
They stood up to the people they had feared, they stood up to the leaders.
With that Spirit within, the apostles began to spread the story.
Spread the Good News,
That God loves us so much that he actually came among us to redeem us.
They spread that Good News out to the whole world.
And they spread it out to all time.
They started the chain of witnesses that has carried the message
Across the world and across time to us.
So who has the better advantage – the apostles or us?
There are pros and cons for both.
But it’s hard to say that either has the clear advantage.
God calls all of us to believe and to give witness to our belief.
To give witness by our actions and example even more than by words.
He gives each of us ample gifts.
And all he asks in return is that we do the best we can with what we have.
